Pirate Bones
by infinit.nothing
Summary: Ariella is your average criminal. But when she hears of her estranged father's death, she makes haste to travel to the colonies, even if that means being a stowaway on a pirate ship. JACK/OC Please R&R!
1. Unintended

Disclaimer: I own it ALL, ALL I SAY, MUAHAHAHAHAHHAHA.

Just kidding…

* * *

Chapter One - Unintended

Ariella darted toward the dirt hillside, the intoxicating feel of adrenaline pounding through her, causing her to shake. Hearing the small pack of irate men behind her, she tried to escape through the downhill brush, the branches smacking her face and tears and nicks attacking her clothes and skin. The moon lit the entire night and the possibilities of her hiding successfully in the brightly lit hillside were slim, so she tried to make her way towards the closest portside bar. She ignored the shouts, threats, and too close for comfort bullets and just smiled manically to herself wanting to laugh, but afraid that she'd run into something.

That worry quickly disappeared and a new one overcame her as she lost her footing and rolled down the rest of the hill, holding on for dear life the heavy sack of gold she'd swiped from those poor bastards. She thought to herself, "_I swear, the bars uphill aren't even worth the brandy, why spend (or get stolen in their case) three times the amount of shillings when you can have a nice cheap, watered down rum at the trusty Faithful Bride."_ Which is where she stumbled into as quickly as possible. She was pretty sure she'd lost the men in her tumble, but she still hurried to the back of the bar, where most of the commotion was located and where you have to dodge rum bottles every few minutes. She thought she should probably get a room first but decided to keep her eyes peeled just for another hour or so in case those bloody sailors decided to keep up their sad chase. She was still shaking and grinning like a fool. She felt exactly where she should be and sighed in contentment as she watched the rowdy brawls and listened to the drunken laughter surrounding her. A huge broad shouldered woman soon approached and Ariella gave her two shillings for a couple pints. No one unwanted approached her, seeing as she looked nothing like the majority of the women flocking around in their fluffy dresses and painted faces. A red head in an expensive looking but worn silk emerald gown looked bored sitting on a balding man's lap as he pawed at her while eyeing another woman nearby. She realized she'd caught Ariella's attention and dragged her judging eyes down from Ariella's muddy obsidian boots to her bemused kohl-smudged eyes and tattered tri-cornered hat. She scoffed at her appearance and half-heartedly joined in the laughter of her client's group as she smothered his face in her bosom, only to distract his leering for a moment. Ariella still couldn't help but smile, knowing that in all of twenty minutes she probably swiped as much as that poor girl makes in a month, and with less physical damage to her person.

Ari was eager to get a room to count her hoard but as she downed her second pint, she succumbed to the urge and threw another shilling for a third one as the immense server returned. She was too distracted by the huge repulsive mole on the woman's left cheek to notice a set of very familiar angry looking men enter the bar. When she did notice (after downing her third pint of deliciously spiced heaven of course) they were already halfway through the place, annoying everyone in their path and putting tension in the otherwise joyous pub. Ari quickly attempted to sober up, the adrenaline in her system somewhat dampened by the alcohol but fight or flight still clearly there. She began to make her way up to the second floor but she flew into an empty chair when she saw one of the men bolt to a table where a group of harlots she thought were sitting alone, leaped up loudly and scattered, leaving a very upset and confused looking man sitting by his lonesome at the small table. Now, Ari couldn't help but laugh, the look on the poor bastard's face was the exact look a child might make if a sweet was snatched right out of his hands and eaten in front of him. He stood, his long brown coat rising with him, and stuck his ringed thumbs in one of the two belts he was wearing. He wore his sword confidently sheathed at his side and an open shirt and vest exposing dark sun weathered skin. Definitely a pirate. He carefully placed his russet tri-cornered hat over his faded bandana and dread locks and stood right up to the man who so ungraciously emptied his table. The other two quickly came to their ally's sides. She couldn't make out the words but the three sailors were definitely describing their situation to the seemingly uninterested man with the trinkets in his hair and she put her arm on the table, trying to block her face with her hand. While still looking in their direction, she saw the pirate's chest rise as he stepped even closer toward the men with an annoyed look on his face. He said something and they retreated quickly, holding up their arms as if apologizing. Ari looked at them baffled as they scurried quickly out of the bar. She slowly dragged her eyes back to the curious pirate only to find him already looking directly at her, an impish grin tugged at his lips. She painfully snapped her head down immediately. "_Bloody hell I should've just gotten that stupid room! Now what? Should I stay or run? Is he coming over…oh piss he's coming over …ok he looks really drunk so it shouldn't be that bad but still…God I'm an idiot…"_ She looked up, doing her best to not display any nervousness, even though she knew she wasn't being subtle at all trying to hide herself. He was just a few yards away from her now and she tried to display as much confidence as she could manage, smiling as he approached her, the same half grin on his mouth and mischievous look in his eye.

"Evenin', may I?" He asked, taking the seat across from her without waiting for a response. Ari lifted her chin a bit higher, her smile now cautious, and nodded.

"I'm guessing I got you out of a bit of trouble there, aye? After ow' much you took from those blokes, I'm sure ye can afford buyin' me a drink." His smile was full now, crooked, displaying a few gold teeth. His deep liquid brown eyes were strange, they seemed more alert than the rest of his disposition.

Ari continued to smile at him, even more cautious now that she noticed he was not letting her on as much as he assumed. She looked up for the voluminous server and waved two fingers at her. The server returned with two more pints and Ari dropped the shillings onto her board. The woman set down Ari's drink and slammed down the man's sitting across from her, spilling a good portion of the drink onto the table top.

"Oi! Thas' not very nice, now Mil!" He exclaimed, his face mourning the loss of the spilled contents.

"Shut it Sparrow! You have the highest bloody tab here, matter fact the only tab here and I'm going to start charging you _interest_ if you don't pay the rest of it by the end of your bloody stay!" With that the massive woman stormed off, leaving Ari internally laughing to herself as she realized who the man was. He took a long sip, staring at her uncomfortably.

Ari cleared her throat, "Jack Sparrow, is it?" She asked.

"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow, if you please." He corrected her. "So whot's yer name, luv, seeing as you've _obviously_ heard of mine." His mouth glimmered.

"Aye, the most feared pirate in the Caribbean. Yes, I've heard of you." She said, trying to stall. His face lit up. Ari still wasn't sure of him, but then again she wouldn't be sure of any pirate. Especially the world-renowned ones. He waited patiently before she responded coolly, "Ariella, Ari for short."

"Ari. Does Miss Ariella happen to have a surname?" he asked mockingly.

Ari glanced away awkwardly. "Marinetti," she said quickly trying not to feel naked under his scrutiny, hoping the name didn't sound too familiar to him.

He gave her a look that displayed no clear emotion for half a second before continuing, "I see, well Miss Marinetti it seems that a drink isn't the only thing you may owe me tonight." He grinned wickedly at her before nudging his head in the direction of 4 of at least 6 women that had surrounded him earlier, all with new cliental. Ari could feel the color burn into her cheeks instantly.

"Sorry about that, do you like red heads?" she asked smiling haphazardly, not referring to herself obviously since her hair was pitch black, but to the woman over his shoulder who scoffed at her earlier and was now staring at her with pure malice. It seemed she'd lost her client to the one he had seemed more interested in. Ari glanced at the captain and looked back to the girl, waving her over. Her demeanor changed instantly and she nearly flew to the table as Ari stood up and smiled at the famous captain, who returned the smile with just a hint of disappointment in his eye. That quickly disappeared as the red sidled herself on his lap.

"Enjoy your night _Captain_ Sparrow. Oh n' thanks." Ari grinned feebly, handing the red head 5 shillings and saluted them casually before going back to the bar. She headed over to Mil in request for a room and perhaps a bit more rum, she had a lot of counting and planning to do tonight.

* * *

AN: Alright so…I've contemplated writing this for an excessive and unnecessary amount of time. I want all honest reviews. What do you think? Too descriptive? Too MarySue? How is Jack? I need all the critique I can get, because, well that's how you grow obviously! This is my first fic and I want to do my best :)


	2. Sober

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah yeah, we all know who owns it.

* * *

Chapter 2 – Sober

_"Ari! Ari where are you!" A little girl peeking behind a doorway whispered out loudly. Her golden curls bounced as she turned her head side to side. When she found what she was looking for, the cheeks on her face grew even more rosy and her emerald eyes narrowed._

_ "ARI! Father said you're not to touch his sword! Give it here!" The small dark haired child with sapphire blue eyes dropped the sword immediately, an innocent expression plastered on her small round face._

_ "I was holding it! No touching Cat!" The three-year old exclaimed. _

_ Cat, or Catherine, couldn't help but smile at the adorable girl. _

_ "Don't. Even. Think about trying that with me young lady! I'm your sister not your nanny!" The older sister reprimanded. Immediately the three year-olds guiltless face fell into an annoyed expression. _

_ "Come on then," Catherine said, exasperated, "why would you ever think I'd fall for that Ariella. I know you can trick almost everyone but not me, not a chance."_

_ The sapphire eyed girl blew a raspberry at her sister before running off down the hall and into her father's room, ignoring her sister's shouts not to enter._

_ "Father?" Ariella called out, hopefully._

_ "What, Ari." He responded emotionlessly as he read at his desk. _

_ "Will you play with me?" Ariella pleaded, her wide blue eyes twinkling. _

_He takes a moment and looks at her. Sadness and anger reaped through him as he looked into the deep_ _blue, almost purple, rim of her iris to the ocean that surrounded her pupil . The rare dark blue eyes the same as his former wife's. The look on his face frightened the child and she ran back to her sister down the hall. The loud slam of the door startling her as she neared Catherine._

_ "Ari! I told you not to go in there!" The eldest whispered sadly._

_ "I just asked if he wanted to play… Why does he play with you?" Ari whispered back, hurt trailing her high voice._

_ "Because…I don't look like Mother." _

Ariella woke up quickly. Instantly she felt the all too familiar pounding in her head, the memory of the dream lurking for a few minutes as she dressed herself. That moment was so clear in her mind. She knew she was young but she understood exactly what her sister meant, the pieces of the puzzle of why her mother died all coming into place. It was her fault. Yes, death during childbirth was common, but that didn't mean you were going to grieve any less. She felt like the culprit, and was treated by her father as if she were a murderer, from the moment her mother died.

She then thought of her protective sister Catherine. Cat always had the finest things put upon her, as if by accident. She deserved it though; she'd been Ariella's mother practically. She was mature, wise, beautiful, and just overall lovely. Ari was always the trouble maker. She was too tan, too dirty, too violent, and too bloody rebellious. She laughed aloud as she recalled the memory of her and the stable boy getting caught in the hay barn when she was fourteen. So much for chastity. It wasn't too long after that she was shipped from England to live with her aunt and husband in the colonies. Ariella couldn't stand it there. Nothing happened quick enough, the life was so slow. She was able to bear it for five years but when she had the opportunity to buy her passage to the Caribbean, she couldn't resist.

After being in nearly every port of Hispaniola, then Port-au-Prince, and most recently Tortuga for the past two years, she had an inkling to return to the colonies for a short visit. She missed her aunt's daughters dearly, the twin girls having been 4 by now. The trouble was getting there. There were hardly any merchant ships that came into Tortuga, and the ones that were, were travelling back to where they first departed from. Meeting Jack Sparrow the previous night was fate. After a long night of drinking and planning, she came to the conclusion that she was to barter her way back to the colonies. With pirates. "Bloody hell, that's definitely a solution that sounds better completely thrashed." She thought to herself. And it was. It was more than a long shot but she had no other option at the moment, and she couldn't help but feel there was something more than just a longing to go back to her aunt. Something was off, but she wouldn't know what until she got there. Also, the veraciousness of Sparrow's crew compared to other pirates was almost nonexistent, so she'd heard. The first part of the plan now had to be executed. She had to ask Mil what room Sparrow was occupying and start the negotiations.

Ari could already feel her stomach was a flurry of excitement, and she hadn't even left the room. "What if he wants something else? What if he wants more? What if we get attacked by the Navy, or another pirate ship? How does that work? I wonder if pirates are allowed to attack each other…" Ariella shook her head, focusing back to the plan of action. She smoothed out her navy linen shirt as much as she could, wiping down the long sleeves. Over the shirt, she secured a black vest and tied the satchel of gold to her waist. Ari stood at the door, her head still pounding and her heart a flutter. She reached for the knob but before she could open it, she heard loud, all too familiar voices. She immediately stepped back.

"I'M TELLIN' YA WE KNOW SHE'S ERE' N' WE'RE GONNA FIND ER' ANYWAYS!"

Ariella's hand flew to her waist instinctively. Her finger snagged the tie, causing the bag to slip open and all of the contents to crash to the floor. The noise it made compared to the relative quietness of downstairs was deafening. There was a long pause of silence before she heard the crashing of boots rushing up the stairs. She ran out of the room, mortified that she'd ruined her entire plan in a mere second. Before the men reached the top of the stairs Ari hurried into a partially open room and closed the door carefully, holding her breath with her ear glued to the splinting wood.

An amused voice came from behind her and she nearly flew through the ceiling.

"So you changed yer mind then, luv. Knew it, you're not able to resist." She turned sadly, listening to the men reclaim their gold, and was met with gleaming eyes and a crooked smile.

"Of course this is your room." She sighed, taking in the perfect body lying sideways on the small bed. The sheet was barely covering him from the waist down and he continued to smile, with his hand propping up his head. Had the timing been better, she would have asked if there was ever a situation in which he took his hat off for, since that and his bandana were the only things he was wearing. But her thoughts were cut short as she heard the men gather up the last of their coin and start conversing again.

"We still need to fin' tha' bitch and give 'er what she deserves." A voice sneered viciously. Ariella rolled her eyes and the pirate on the bed chuckled. They both knew that men associated with the governor of Tortuga were nothing to fear. They hardly ever even came out of hiding, practically no one even knew there was such thing as a governor of Tortuga. However, she had no sword and decided the easiest thing at the moment would be to…well…run. Without anything to barter, asking for passage from the pirate captain was useless. It was near impossible even with her money. She had to think of another way, and quickly before he and his crew were to leave the isle.

"Sorry but I believe that's my cue." She said apologetically before peeking out of the room. By the time the pirate could say goodbye, she was past her room, down the stairs, and out the door of the tavern.

* * *

AN: The chapters seem much longer on Word! This will probably be the average length now that I'm getting into the swing of things. Thank you ninjalover13 and Pick'n'Mix for reviewing! Please R&R, constructive criticism is appreciated! :)


	3. Map of the Problematique

Chapter 3 – Map of the Problematique

**1 week later**

"Erm…Cap'n?" A man with massive sideburns approached his captain unsurely.

"Aye, Mr. Gibbs." The captain responded; his eyes set on the dark ocean ahead as he steered the massive black vessel.

"We…err…well we found somethin' in the hold see." The older man said awkwardly.

Jack looked at the man finally, surprised to come across his almost frightened face.

"Mr. Gibbs… do tell me why you looked like you've soiled your knickers." Jack asked casually, as if he was bored. His gaze returned to the sea.

Gibbs shuffled his feet uncomfortably, then looked around to see if anyone was in the vicinity before calling out, "Pintel! Ragetti!" Two men appeared from the lower deck, one large and balding and the other extremely tall and thin. They soon arrived at the helm, dropping a seemingly lifeless body in front of their captain.

"It's a…" Gibbs finished the sentence by mouthing the word 'woman' to the confused man at the helm.

"Yes…that's clear. What an interesting find that is." Jack pushed the woman gently with his boot a few times, trying to rouse her, pushing harder with every nudge. When the only response was a few groans, the four men stood around the body for a minute, in silence.

"Whot do we do wit' 'er then Cap'n? She doesn't look too great…" The stocky man cocked his head to the side as he looked at the body.

"Well, that's obvious. Um, wake Maurice and ask him…if he could… fix her!" The Captain was delighted with his word choice. Pintel and Ragetti hurried to the crews' quarters, leaving Mr. Gibbs and Jack alone with the girl again.

"Cap'n. You know it's bad luck ta 'ave a woman aboard! We've been so much better off since Anamaria stayed in Port—" the Captain cut him off before he could finish.

"Really now? Do tell me in what ways we've been better off exactly."

"Well… well there's…alright maybe not 'better off' but what if we start 'aving problems now that this one is onboard!"

"Mr. Gibbs… we left Tortuga over seven days ago. Now, if I'm not mistaken, that means she had to have been on this ship for the past seven days. Can you tell me one thing that's gone wrong since then?"

"Well…yes! I can! I chipped my tooth on a piece a hardtack!"

"And you wouldn't be having hardtack if Anamaria were still part of the crew. So do tell me where women stand in your superstitions now."

The sideburned man was speechless. As the ship's doctor, Maurice, walked sleepily toward the helm the first mate stormed off flustered. Jack smiled at the retreating form.

"Well then, what have we got here. Oh goodie, a body." The doctor said sarcastically, bending over the unconscious girl. "Severely dehydrated. Low pulse. Dark circles indicate she hasn't eaten in a while. Ragetti, take her to the guest quarters and see that a pail of fresh water and hardtack are by her side. I'll be in mo'." The two men quickly rushed off the body.

"From everything I've seen come on on this ship, I can't say I'm surprised. Do you have any idea who she is at least?" The doctor asked.

"Aye, that I do." The captain smiled at him. Maurice knew if that's all his captain would respond then he wouldn't bother getting any more information out of him. He turned and walked toward the guest quarters.

"That, I do." The captain grinned and pulled out his compass. He needed a new heading.

* * *

AN: Ummmmm... yeah it's been a while. And I've had this chapter done for a really long time but I didn't want to post it because it was too short. But I did it anyway!


End file.
